New Watch!

However superficial it may be, I wear watches as accessories rather than to tell me the time. I just use my phone for the time- maybe quite a lot of you do too. I don't wear a watch religiously either, so I don't spend lots of money on them. When rose gold watches first became popular, I was extremely pleased at myself for finding a Michael Kors dupe on Missguided for around £20. I then replaced that with a €10 number from Penny's (Irish Primark) last summer. However, I have a really, really weird tendency to lose watches. Of all the things to lose you'd think that wouldn't be one of them but somehow I take them off and never see them again. Maybe one day I'll stumble upon a secret cove of all my watches from days gone by. As it stood a couple of weeks ago though, I needed a new watch. Since I'd had two, I was pretty much over the solid rose gold and wanted something a bit different. I found this khaki/ mauve watch with a rose gold face in New Look for only £12.99 (plus 10% student discount). It's smart and goes with pretty much all my outfits because I'm really into subtle shades right now like pale pink, navy, camel and white. I really like it and think it looks more expensive than it actually was. This is also the first picture I've ever posted where my nails aren't a bitten mess. My new years resolution was to grow them and so far I have had them long 4 or 5 times - but I can't keep it up. They were nice for this picture though! 
Do you splurge or save when it comes to watches?

Sleek Face Form Palette in 'Light'

I stumbled upon these pictures in my 'To Post' folder from around a year ago and I can't believe the length of time I have been using the Sleek Face Form Palette without writing a rave review about it. I had read lots of great things about Sleek palettes before taking the plunge and buying one of my own. Coming in at £9.99, its more than I would usually spend on 1 high street makeup item so I had to do that thing where I go into Boots, look, swatch, and leave at least 3 times before I actually bought it. I am so glad I did though because I haven't stopped using it since. 

The packaging is really simple - a wipe clean black- and the palette contains a large mirror which is ideal for when you are applying on the go. I realised my initial hesitation at the cost was unnecessary as you're getting 3 full sized products: a blush, a highlight and bronzer/ contour for £10. Each shade is great quality and applies easily. The swatches actually don't do their pigmentation justice. 

The blush is a lovely rose pink and its gold shimmer acts as a highlighter in itself.  The highlight is a very pale pink/ white but not chalky in the slightest. The highlight is actually my least used of the three as I prefer a more gold based highlighter and my favourite is the MAC MSF in Soft & Gentle. However, the absolute stand out of the palette, and probably worth the £9.99 itself is the contour shade. I went through many drugstore bronzers trying to find one that would work as a contour but they were all too orange, shimmery or difficult to blend. This matte brown works excellently with my skin tone as a contour shade and I apply it with the Real Techniques Contour Brush (reviewed here). 

This is definitely the best cheek & contour palette I have found so far. I am still quite far from hitting pan on the blush and highlight so I might see if I can purchase the contour shade individually as I just couldn't go without it. 

What is your favourite Sleek product?

Autumn Fashion & Makeup Haul

I'll admit it: the prospect of starting uni as well as my excitement for autumn and poring over high street shops' websites for hours finally got to me and I went on a bit of a blow out. You might look at this and think 'you were quite restrained' or, you might be on the 'omg you got all this on one shopping trip?!' camp. For me, this is way more than I'd usually haul but in my opinion, its justified by the above reasons and by the fact it was mostly paid for by the tips I'd been saving for months. 

Apologies for the less-than-great picture quality. I thought it was better to hang what I could up so you could see it better. My camera also decided to run out of charge so today's snaps are 50% camera, 50% iPhone- eugh.

Superdrug: Sleek Palette £9.99 / MUA Palette £4 Boots: Natural Collection 2 for £3.50 New Look: Coat £44.99 (£49.99 without student discount) Primark: Pink Jumper £8 / Grey Charcoal Cardigan £12 / Grey Charcoal Shoes £4 / Grey Gold Scarf £4 / Black Chiffon Blouse £8 / Super High Waist Skinny Jeans £10
Its safe to say that I am so excited to wear all of this and be all cosy for the approaching season. I had an absolute rush of happiness the other day when I first noticed the leaves on the ground (probably also fuelled by the shopping buzz).
I should probably get off to sleep now and try and rid myself of what I think is freshers flu. In all honesty I thought it was a myth/ I would definitely be immune since I'm living at home but general tiredness and a throat which feels sliced have gotten the better of me. 
If you'd like to see any Freshers/ starting uni themed posts be sure to let me know. I currently have a stationery one in the pipeline. Also leave a comment telling me what you've been hauling lately.

Matalan Beach Buys

Hey Everyone!
For me, when 'high street shops' are mentioned, I automatically think of around 5 well known, regularly hauled and hyped names. Topshop for those treat purchases, Primark for affordable basics and the odd treasure find, and so on. In all honesty, until a few weeks ago, if Matalan was mentioned, I would automatically think of clothes for older ladies and kids. How wrong I was. I popped in out of interest and was very pleasantly surprised. 

On my first trip I bought the royal blue bottom mismatched bikini. I like that the top and bottoms are sold separately as I am often a different size on top than on bottom and sometimes I like to switch up patterns. I also went in after work a couple of days ago for a quick look about in the hope they might have a few beach essentials. Their summer sale is now on and its absolutely brilliant. For £15 I got the aztec bandeau bikini top, tortoise bottoms, a beach towel and the beach bag! Matalan is definitely the place for last minute holiday bargains. I would absolutely recommend popping in- their range completely surpassed my expectations. 
Have you shopped in Matalan lately? Have you found any luckies?

Summer 2014 Primark Haul

Hey Everyone!
When I initially set out to do this post, it was going to be a collective haul but in the process of picture taking I realised that I've bought enough from Primark over the past few weeks to justify a whole post of its own. Primark hauls (both videos and blog posts) are probably my favourites as it gives you a chance to see whats in store. 
I've been buying mainly for my holidays to Portugal and Greece (which are both really soon woo!). I try not to spend too much on summer clothes because I don't get a whole lot of wear out of them as the Scottish weather is so unpredictable (though for once this year it has been pretty decent). I've also found myself going around Primark picking up random bits and bobs and thinking 'I'll find somewhere to wear that!'.

My most recent purchases are the pink playsuit (£14), printed trousers (£11) and foil tee (£8). I love the playsuit and trousers- they're both surprisingly comfortable and they don't look like they're from Primark at all (although I have a feeling that the trousers will be seen on everyone and their granny in the next few weeks). I was, and still am, a little uncertain about the foil top as something about it reminds me of wrapping paper. 
I've never noticed in previous years but this summer Primark's range of swimwear is fab. I personally don't see the point in spending over £30 on a bikini in Topshop (although they are gorgeous) if you're just going to wear it a couple of times when you can get one for just over £10 in Primark. I can't remember exact prices for the rest of my loot because its been a while since I bought it but I think the sunglasses were all between £2 and £3. The cami tops (<£4) are really light and comfortable although I do feel the need to wear a strapless bra underneath rather than having straps showing. I loved the colours of the tropical top (~£4) although its a bit see through. As you can see, I've been suffering a bit of an addiction to the printed shorts. These are loose and pyjama-like which is perfect for the warm weather and paired with one of the cami tops they make a cute, lightweight outfit. Finally, the denim shorts £10 are a really good fit and are similar to ones for treble the price in Topshop. Also worth mentioning, but not photographed, is my new silicon mint phone case which I got for only £1. Considering the difficulty I've faced trying to get a reasonable priced cover- I thought I'd share. Despite Primark's affordable prices, my bank account is still crying itself to sleep at night after all this. The same cannot be said for me though- I'm so excited to wear it.
What have you picked up in Primark lately?

Another Spring Primark Haul

Hey Everyone!

As promised (if a little late) here is what I've bought in Primark recently. This is quite a random selection of bits and bobs: they're mostly for summer/ holidays. You see I went into Primark before work a few weeks ago and I wanted pretty much everything I saw. But you know what always happens in these situations. I'd forgotten my purse. So, the next week I went in: card at the ready, and treated myself.

The first thing I spotted was this ditsy floral playsuit. Its very floaty on top (usually the opposite of what I'd go for) but it was a good price (about £10) and I'm a lover of playsuits in general, so I just had to get it. Its actually very nice on too. A great thing about it is the black which means I'll be able to put it over a pair of tights until the weather warms up a bit. I also picked up the navy, floral, pyjama-like shorts for £4 (ish- sorry, in all honesty I can't be bothered moving to find the receipt). They are super comfy and casual and will be perfect for warm days. Next up, a pair of white jeans which I've been coveting for a good while now. I think white jeans are a bit of a love/ hate item and I really want to love them. I think they're great at this time of year and I think they look great on other people so I'm going to make myself love them on me too. They're not a perfect fit, but they're good enough, and for £10 they're good value anyway. I then got this bodycon pale pink skirt with black lace for £3. Primark have a lot of skirts on sale at the minute so definitely have a look. I'm usually a skater skirt wearer all the way but since this was on sale I thought I'd pick it up in case I fancy a change. It is nice on I just feel like I need some sort of suction device to pull me in and smooth me out to make it wearable. Last up, this black and white aztec top. I think this was £5 and its my favourite item from the haul. The collar is trimmed with a little faux soft leather and the sleeves are a really unusual length (between short and medium) but they're soo cute. This top was positioned next to bright yellow handbags and I was very tempted to get one because I want something of that hue but then I said to myself 'Julz, do you really need another bag when you have just bought that bad boy of a Zara mini city bag?' The answer was of course no. 

So there we have it. This haul isn't as coordinated colour-scheme-wise as my last (here) but ah well- I feel like these have ensembles already awaiting in my wardrobe. Something I haven't done in ages is take like an hour to go through my wardrobe to put together new random outfits. I've put myself in the mood for it now. If only I had time!

I always end on a question related to the post, but today I'm going to be different since I have a creative writing piece due and I have no idea what to write about. Since you are all creative geniuses and give me inspiration all the time:

any ideas about what I can write a reflective essay/ drama/ poem on? lol

Autumn OOTD #1

Hey Everyone!

It stuck me a few days ago that I hardly ever do OOTD's and since I do like to have a bit of fashion incorporated here and there with beauty and a heap of other random stuff, I set about getting some pictured. I hope you'll excuse the fact I photographed all 3 of my autumn OOTD's (#2 & #3 coming in the next few weeks!) in the one day. I almost never have the time (or the lighting) to take a picture of the outfit I'm wearing that day so just do a kind of lookbook and divide them up.

Top: H&M

Skirt: Primark

What I love most about this outfit is the colours. The light mocha/ mauve colour harmonizes so nicely with the burgundy and both are perfect autumn colours. I hardly ever wear any of the two maxi skirts I own and  really should make the effort to as they're really comfortable and still on trend. I went for quite a casual look with this basic top but the outfit could be made fancier by the addition of jewellery and accessories (I was planning on adding a belt but the brown I had didn't go). I'm actually also wearing my own ring from Accessorize (even though you can't see it) which is so cute and again, perfect for this time of year. Isn't it weird how you associate different animals and colours with different seasons? Also, for those of you who are interested, the makeup look I'm wearing here will be posted next Tuesday.

Hope you're having a good day so far!

Primark Haul

Hi Everyone!

Ever since I stopped filming videos of hauls I seem to completely forget to show you all what I've been buying recently. Hauls are one of my favourite kinds of posts on other people's blogs so I need to start remembering to photograph my purchases to share with you rather than putting them straight away.

Like most people, I have quite a love hate relationship with Primark. Sometimes I'll go in and see nothing and walk out disappointed and others I'll want to buy everything in sight. I have been in twice recently (once in Glasgow and once in Blackpool) and picked up quite a few bits and bobs. I'm actually bought quite practical things and manged to resist picking up even more summer dresses because I won't get any use out of them until at least next year.

I have been looking for a statement necklace for absolutely ages and finally found this one which is exactly what I was looking for: weighty, not the cheap looking yellow-gold colour and really compliments a variety of tops. And the best part? It was only £4! I've already worn this twice and really like it for making an outfit smarter. I wouldn't recommend wearing it if you're going to be moving around a lot though as it does clink a bit. 

I also got this royal blue blouse for £8. This is available in a lot of different colours but I liked this one in particular as it goes so well with the necklace. I also like that the sleeves are sewn up and that it isn't sheer like many other Primark blouses. 

Next, I picked up these burgundy suede pumps/loafers/ flats for £6 as I wear a lot of burgundy in the autumn/ winter and they'd go well with the royal blue top. They also have some sort of cushioned sole which I thought was good. I've worn them twice and they have been digging into my heels a bit and the back is creasing and probably won't last long. Ga why do I never learn my lesson about buying Primark shoes? I think I must walk funny as I ruin 99% of the pairs I buy within a few weeks.

I also bought some essentials: white shoe liners (7 for £2), white invisible socks (2 for £1.50) and a pair of navy socks with black frills for £1.50. I like the shoe liners for around the house and with converse so thought I'd just chuck out my old ones and replace them since they're so reasonably priced. I wear my grey Primark invisible socks most of the time (they're so much better than the H&M ones- and a lot cheaper) so I thought I'd get another set in white. These seem to be a bit smaller than the grey though and keep slipping off my feet. Maybe they'll stretch out though after a few washes. I really love little frilly socks especially in winter with booties and I already have these in black so I thought I'd pick up another pair. They're a great alternative to the Topshop ones (which I have in grey) for a smaller price. I also got some underwear which I thought was a bit weird to include so I just included these navy trimmed pants. I thought that was acceptable as I actually saw them on another girls blog and was inspired to get them. 

Then, on my next trip (in Blackpool last weekend), I got this polka dot shirt which I love! I originally wanted the pale blue one but everywhere I went they only had size 14 and up which was so annoying. I ended up picking up this though and its actually very similar to one from Topshop which I featured in a wishlist a few months back. It was £10 which is now standard for a Primark blouse (I personally think its too much but admittedly I am a bit tight.) Again, I love the sewn up sleeves and how its very 90s. I think this will be lovely all year round tucked into jeans or shorts or even skirts. 

Finally, I got these brogues in the sale for £6. "Whatt?!" I may hear you ask, as I have just said myself that I do not get along with Primark shoes. However, these are the exception. I bought a pair this time last year and have worn them consistently all year and they have not fallen apart or given me any injury. YAY! So I thought I'd get another pair so I'm sorted for another year. 

Geez I don't think I've went on like that in a post for a longgg time! Well done (and thank you) if you read all of that! 

Which of these is your favourite? What have you bought in Primark recently?

The Last of Summer OOTD

Hey Everyone!

I haven't posted an OOTD in ages which is weird because I have now figured out a way of taking the picture that doesn't involve boxes and pillows and chairs and drawers stacked on top of each other. Since summer is drawing to a close *sniff* I thought I'd share this rather summery outfit that I wore yesterday. Just as always my luck, I actually missed most of the good (!) Scottish weather while I was in Africa and haven't saw a lot of sun since I've been back but I've just adapted by replacing shorts for light coloured jeans etc. 

Top- H&M 

Jeans- Primark

Lipstick- MAC Girl About Town

I got this top in the H&M sale at the beginning of the summer for about £4 which I thought was great. I'm not usually a fan of tops with pictures but I absolutely love the colours of this one. I had also been looking for a cold-shoulder top for ages so was very impressed that something so on trend was in the sale. Its really baggy which I like and is longer at the back so can be worn with leggings/ jeggings too.

These jeans were a present for my birthday and I really like them! All my jeans are dark blue so its lovely to have a change (especially for summer when the weather isn't great) and they are also very comfortable. 

This is also the first time my new MAC lipstick has made an appearance (even though you can only just about make it out!) and I love love love it. But a full review will be coming soon! 

So there we have it! Do let me know if you'd like to see more OOTD's!

MUA Neutral Palettes - Swatches & Reviews

Hey Everyone!

I have to admit, no matter how adventurous I'm feeling- I'm a true neutral eye shadow gal at heart and 9 times out of 10 I'll be wearing one of these three MUA palettes. At only £4 a pop they're well worth a try. 

 

First up is Heaven and Earth- my first MUA palette! I've had a lot of use out of this- I used it everyday for the first few months after I bought it. It consists of 12 shimmery neutrals- creams, muted golds and browns. You can create anything from a bit of subtle depth to a full on, sultry, smokey eye. Its weird to say this about powder shadows but they're actually almost creamy in texture because they're so highly pigmented and soft so they blend very easily and there isn't a whole lot of fall out. I regret that I don't actually use this palette as much as I should- it will be perfect in the coming weeks with bronzed cheeks and a tan. The only disappointing thing about this is that the packaging broke- though this could just be down to how often its been used.

 

This is my favourite palette of the three! Undressed is made up of a mixture of mattes and shimmers, each very well pigmented, though the mattes aren't just as pigmented as the shimmers. Undressed is slightly more colourful than the Heaven and Earth palette, but the shades are so wearable and never get boring. The dusky pinks, golds, khaki, deep blue and taupes seem like a random selection, but they compliment each other amazingly. Never would I have thought of creating a smokey eye of rose blending into muted blue, but by golly it looks fab! Again a slight disappointment with the packaging though- the applicator fell apart just a few days after I got it. But the price and quality make this a HG item in my book. 

The Undress Me Too is a cooler version of Heaven and Earth- with more grey tones than gold. The packaging has changed to white which I think looks cleaner for longer, and is more sturdy. I can't say a whole lot about this as I haven't given it as much of a test run as the others- but from what I can tell it is another A* product. You can see from the swatches how highly pigmented the shades are.

Do you have any of these palettes? Which is your favourite?

My Go-To Lipstick This Winter

Hey Everyone!

So before we completely loose winter and move into the pastels and corals of spring and summer, I thought I'd tell you about the lipstick I have been absolutely loving the past season.

 

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in Shade 107 received quite a bit of hype as the winter months began- and rightly so. The formula is one of the best I've tried: smooth, extremely pigmented and has a really distinct, almost fruity smell, which I'm pretty much indifferent to. Because to colour is so bold, you need to be careful with application, but if clumsy  old me can do it, anyone can. Although its matte, its not drying at all and I don't have to wear a balm underneath  You might want to use a lip liner, but personally I don't feel I have to. The lasting power is amazing- much better than I thought, and even though it does transfer, the colour stays on your lips. It is extremely flattering and works as a evening or day shade. 

This is a lipstick that would usually be really out of my comfort zone because of how 'out there' it is but in winter I fill my wardrobe with maroon, so why not my makeup bag? I plan to wear this until the sun finally makes an appearance,and will definitely be getting it back out next winter.

Have you tried it?